Title: Two of a kind
Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Author: Ceindreadh
Characters: Matthew, Jean, Alice
Rating: 15
Spoilers: Set after the telemovie Ghost Stories
Summary: Christmas was always going to be difficult
Word count: ~ 1,400
Disclaimer. I don't own the characters, I'm only borrowing them, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: For Ellie whose reply to my comment on Facebook made me think about this idea to the point where I had to write it.
Matthew Lawson knew that this Christmas wasn't going to be an easy one for anybody, but especially for Jean Blake.
He used the excuse of finalizing the station rosters as a pretext to bring the matter up with her. "You know that you don't have to do a big spread," said Matthew, as he nursed his cup of tea one evening after dinner. "I mean, Alice and I can fend for ourselves if you just want a day to yourself."
Jean smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "I wouldn't dream of it, Matthew. Christmas is a time for families…regardless of how they're related. No, we'll have our dinner with all the trimmings, and space at the table if there's any stragglers to join us."
"Well if that's the case," said Matthew, "Then I want to cover the costs." He held up a hand to stifle Jean's protests. "It's the least I can do. I know that you're not charging me next to near anything a market rent for my lodgings, and I'll admit that I'm thrifty enough not to complain too much about it. And I also know you probably only even charged me that much when I moved in because you figured I wouldn't accept charity." He cleared his throat before continuing, "But well, that was then, and while I'm not about to stick my nose in your financials, I figure that, well, there's not as much money coming into this house as there used to be. So, I'm going to cover the Christmas dinner, and then in the New Year we can talk about me paying my way properly." He took a sip from his tea.
"I'm not exactly destitute, Matthew," said Jean. She sighed heavily before continuing, "But I do appreciate the offer and I will let you split the cost of the meal. And as for the rent, I was thinking that maybe I might take in another lodger or two." She looked at Matthew but got no reaction, "Of course I'll let you have a say in who moves in. This is your home too."
"Sounds like a plan," said Matthew.
In the end, fate and timing meant that the Christmas day gathering was considerably smaller than it had been in previous years. Bill Hobart was dining with his girlfriend and her family, Amy and Rose were spending Christmas with family members in Melbourne, and Peter too was spending it with his family. So it was only Alice and Matthew who raised a glass with Jean on Christmas day.
"Now I know we said we weren't exchanging gifts," said Jean, once they'd all had the first round of sherry, "But I was sorting through some things and I found something for each of you that I knew would be perfect." She produced two small packages and handed one each to Mathew and Alice.
"Jean, you shouldn't have," protested Alice.
"It's only a little something," said Jean, smiling a brittle smile, "You open them while I…I have to go check on the turkey." She hurried away towards the kitchen.
Matthew watched her go, wishing there was something he could say or do to help. He heard the rustling of paper and then an exclamation of surprise from Alice.
"Oh, that's odd," said Alice. She held up what looked like half a globe with a symbol like a stick with two snakes wrapped around it.
"Isn't that a medical symbol?" asked Matthew, wondering what was odd about Jean giving Alice a medicine themed gift.
"Yes, a caduceus," said Alice, "But it looks like it's a bookend…a single bookend."
Matthew wouldn't have considered himself the smartest man around, but he knew how to put two and two together and when he pulled the paper away from his gift, he wasn't surprised to find the companion to Alice's gift. Wordlessly he held it out to Alice's bookend touching them together to complete the globe. "It's a matching set."
"Do you think she made a mistake?"
Matthew shook his head. "Jean doesn't make mistakes like that." He took a deep breath before continuing, "She's given us two halves of something that belong together. Maybe she's trying to tell us something."
"Oh Matthew," said Alice, looking away. "Please don't…we've talked about this before." She felt Matthew take her bookend out of her hands before clasping his hands around hers.
"No, we didn't talk…you talked, and I listened. And I agreed with what you were saying because well, we both know you're smarter than me. But if I've learned anything this past year it's that life is too short to waste and I don't want to regret not saying something. I know you don't want people thinking you're only the Police Surgeon because of who you're seeing. But I also know that anybody stupid enough to think that's the only reason, isn't worth the time of day." He hesitated before continuing, "But I know it bothers you, which means it bothers me too. So, the way I see it, if I want to be with you, there's only one thing I can do to stop people talking."
"Are you going to fire me?" asked Alice.
"What? Bloody hell, no!" said Matthew, "But…" he cleared his throat, "I am going to resign."
Alice pulled her hands away from his in shock, "Matthew, you can't do that!"
"I was 'offered' early retirement a few years ago and I'm pretty sure that I'm enough of a thorn in Melbourne's side that they'd be happy to offer it to me again. Now it won't be a full pension for a few years, but I reckon I can get by. Just as long as you're not looking to be a kept woman!" Matthew smiled, but Alice didn't return it.
"I won't let you throw away your career for me," said Alice, fiercely.
"Alice, they're not likely to be making me Chief Commissioner anytime soon," said Matthew, "Not that I'd want that sort of hassle. And I could well be out on my ear any day if they figure they've got a suitable replacement. Maybe I'd be better off going on my own terms."
"You'd do that…for me?" asked Alice, hesitantly.
"I'd do anything for you," said Matthew, his face serious. "And for us…that is if you want there to be an 'us'?"
In response, Alice put her hands on his face, pulling him close enough to kiss him on the lips. "Yes, yes I do," she said softly, even as she felt his arms wrap around her. Alice let herself relax in his embrace for a few minutes, enjoying the sense of calm and security that he had always engendered in her, even before her feelings towards him had grown to something more. Suddenly she pulled away until she could look him straight in the eye, "It won't work."
"We won't know unless we try," said Matthew, trying not to show his disappointment.
"I don't mean us," Alice reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand, "That's something I'm more than willing to try. No, but if you resign, there's no guarantee that your replacement would want a female Police Surgeon on staff. We could both end up unemployed and I don't think that would be the best start for a relationship."
"So?"
"So maybe we should say to hell with the gossips and just get on with our jobs…and our lives...together."
From her position by the kitchen door where she had been unashamedly eavesdropping, Jean couldn't see what was going on between the pair, but the lack of conversation was telling in itself, and she smiled happily as she turned back to the oven where the turkey was doing fine without any need to be checked.
Jean sighed ruefully as she poured herself another sherry. When she'd mentioned to Matthew about taking in another lodger, she'd been waiting for him to suggest Alice as an option, but he'd failed to take the hint. Alice too had seemed markedly oblivious to Jean's tactful questions about her accommodations, so Jean had wrapped the bookends, hoping that one of them would get the message.
"Well it wasn't the message I intended," said Jean to herself, "But I think it was the message they needed to hear." She raised the glass in a silent toast to the couple before putting it down and moving on to her next chore. "Anyway, there's always New Years Eve to try again."
The end